


The Frozen Heart (Accidental Magic)

by Tiny_Black_Cat



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Everyone is in love with Emma, Extremely pissed off Regina, F/F, Fighting, Less angst than I was going for, Mentions of Hook, Multi, Regina/Elsa conflict, Set in the beginning of S4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-02
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-07-05 15:18:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15866280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiny_Black_Cat/pseuds/Tiny_Black_Cat
Summary: Emma meets Elsa, who is not in control of her magic.Or, the one where Emma is dying and the people around her are more concerned about it than she is.





	The Frozen Heart (Accidental Magic)

**Author's Note:**

> Written 9/27/14
> 
> This includes a headcanon of mine that Ruby/Red would like to be called Red and not Ruby.
> 
> This fic exists in part because I ship Emma with a lot of women and I can't settle on one ship. It was supposed to be angsty, but I'm not sure if I succeeded.

Emma was walking towards the barn when she saw a woman. The woman was wearing an ice-blue dress with a translucent cape.

“Hi,” Emma greeted the woman as she saw her approach.

“Hi,” the woman replied shyly. “I’m Elsa.”

“Emma."

“Get away from her!” Emma turned to see Rumplestiltskin scowling at Elsa. Regina was next to him with a fireball.

“She’s evil,” he continued. “And dangerous. She’s a monster.”

“I don't know who you are or what you think I did, but what I did to Anna was an accident! I am so sorry!” Elsa said.

Emma looked at her, and then moved to stand in front of her.

“Guys, I can tell she’s telling the truth,” she said. “She’s innocent.”

“She’s dangerous,” Rumplestiltskin said.

“Emma, you don’t know what she’s capable of,” Regina said.

“Are you ready?” Rumplestiltskin said to Regina. She nodded. He conjured up his own fireball.

“Please - no - “ Elsa protested. She threw out her hands to shield herself. From her hands a burst of cold shot at Emma.

Emma gasped as she felt the ice in her heart. She fell to the ground.

“Emma!” came a cry from across the field. Red came running towards the scene.

“I tried to warn you,” Rumplestiltskin said. “I tried to stop her.” He disappeared.

“Are you okay?” Regina directed the question at Emma.

“Yes...” she said. “I’m cold.”

Elsa looked horrified.

“What?” Red asked. “What happened?”

She shook her head.

“Elsa,” Emma asked. “What is it?”

“You’re dying,” she said.

Emma smiled sadly. “Well, damn. I guess you can't win 'em all.”

"You're _not_ dying." Regina said. "Not if I can help it."

“I’m tired of fighting,” Emma said. “I’m tired of running. I'm tired of being the Savior. If this is my end, then ... tell Henry I love him, okay?”

“ _I’m_ not giving up,” Red said. “Here.”

She offered her cloak to Emma and frowned at Elsa when she saw her doing the same.

“Elsa, no,” Emma said. “I don’t really think your cloak would be that warm anyway. Red, you need it more than I do. I’m fine, really.”

“You are obviously not!” Regina snapped, noticing the way Emma shivered. A lock of her hair was already white.

Red noticed the stranger. “You,” she said. “You did this to her. How do we fix it?”

“I’m sorry,” Elsa said, her eyes shining with tears. “I’m so, so sorry -“

“We don’t need apologies; we need answers,” Regina cut her off.

Elsa sniffed. “The only other time this has happened, it was with my ... sister. We were told that only an act of true love could thaw a frozen heart.”

“So what happened?” Red asked.

“There was an evil man trying to kill me; my sister, Anna, threw herself in front of his sword to save me. She froze into ice, but she thawed: it was an act of love. She saved herself.”

“Maybe,” Regina glared at Elsa and conjured a fireball, “I could burn this ice witch. It could undo the frost.”

Elsa paled, ice freezing the grass beneath her feet.

“Regina, stop!” Red said. “It isn’t helping. Can’t you feel how cold it’s getting?” She turned to Elsa. “Can you control your powers?”

She shook her head.

“It can’t get any colder,” Red said, looking down.

Emma was curled up into a ball and she was shivering violently. Her hair was whiter.

“Emma?” Regina asked.

“I’m f-fine,” she shivered.

“Look, we need a plan,” Red said. “We need to take her to Hook.”

“The pirate?” Regina said.

“True love’s kiss,” Red explained.

“If this - pirate - is Emma’s true love, it will work,” Elsa agreed.

Red bent over to pick up Emma.

“Ow! Fuck! It hurts - stop!” Emma yelped.

Red released her.

“Please don’t touch me,” Emma said. “It hurts - like pins and needles, but worse.”

Regina quickly pulled out a mirror. “It wouldn’t work," she concluded. "He’s on his ship. And I don’t dare to use magic on her, any small bit could....”

No one needed her to finish.

“Take me,” Elsa said. “Use your fireballs or whatever - I don’t care. If there’s any chance of undoing my curse, do it.”

“No,” Emma said. “I won’t let you.”

“Don’t,” Red said. “There has to be another way.”

“There isn’t.”

“Regina,” Emma grabbed her arm for a second before wincing and curling up on the frozen ground. Emma’s fingers were cold.

“I am not going to kill you.” Regina said. “I am going to let you live. To avenge Emma, you are going to live, and watch everyone around you die. I won’t even have to lift a finger. You will do it to yourself.”

“Don’t upset her,” Red warned.

“Do you not see what she did to Emma?”

“I didn’t do it on purpose!”

“Doesn’t change the fact that Emma is freezing to death!” Regina snapped.

“I never wanted - “ Elsa said, but she didn’t finish. A flash of ice shot from her to Emma.

In a cloud of smoke Regina poofed in front of Emma.

Red threw herself in front of Emma as well.

Elsa gasped and lunged forward, trying to absorb the magic.

All four women fell to the ground.

As the three realized they were crushing the freezing woman, they got to their feet. Surprisingly, Emma’s skin was warm.

“Are you okay?” said Red.

“Yeah,” Emma said. She frowned. “I don’t feel cold anymore.”

“Does anyone else feel cold?” Elsa asked anxiously.

“No,” Regina said as Red shook her head.

“I feel fine....”

Elsa said, “then that means-“

Emma got to her feet and embraced them all in an awkward group hug, tears streaming down her face.

“You guys,” she sniffed, smiling. “It was an act of true love.”

She released them.

“It means a lot to me.” Emma hugged the closest person next to her, which was Red.

“Thank you,” Emma said. “I’ll never forget it.”

Regina was next. Emma hugged her gently, not expecting the queen to be comfortable with too much affection.

Emma tried to speak but couldn’t. She tried to convey her convey her gratitude through her hug.

“Thanks,” she finally managed. She wiped her eyes. “Regina, I want you to know, though, that I never want anyone to die or suffer on my account.”

“I know,” Regina said. “I’m sorry. Elsa?”

“What?” startled, Elsa looked over at Regina.

“I’m sorry for trying to kill you,” Regina said.

Elsa nodded. “I don’t know if I can forgive you just yet, but I think I can understand why you did it.”

“Why’s that?” Regina was genuinely confused.

“Oh, no reason,” Elsa smiled slightly.

Emma moved to hug the other woman.

“Look,” she met Elsa’s eyes. “Don’t blame yourself for the ice thing.”

“But it’s my fault!”

“No, it isn’t,” Emma said. “You just need to learn how to control your powers. I can help.”

“I’m dangerous,” Elsa said, tears spilling down her cheeks.

“I trust you,” Emma said. “But you need to accept that part of yourself to control your magic.”

“Okay,” she finally agreed.

“So we don’t know who the curse hit?” Red asked.

“We’ll never know,” Regina said. “Whoever it hit cured themselves with an act of true love.”

“As far as I’m concerned, you all saved me,” Emma said.

She put her arms around the three of them and they headed towards town.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are welcome!


End file.
